Semi-automatic firearms have been used for a long time. A semi-automatic firearm allows only one bullet to be fired every time the trigger is pulled by a user. A civilian version of a common military firearm is the AR-15. The AR-15, as well as other firearms, have a detachable magazine, which allows a user to fire the gun until all of the bullets in the magazine have been depleted. Once depleted, the user removes the empty magazine by pushing a magazine release button, which releases the empty magazine from the firearm. The user then loads a full magazine by pushing a new magazine against the firearm to lock it in place. The user can then resume firing the firearm.
Although quick release magazines are practical for the user to be able to resume firing after one magazine has emptied, regulations have been put in place that slow down this process. In order to be compliant with some state regulations, the magazine can only be released from the firearm when the upper and lower receivers are separated from each other. If not separated, the magazine remains locked to the firearm so that the emptied magazine cannot be removed, and prevents the user from inserting a new magazine.
The purpose of requiring the upper and lower receivers to separate from each other is to slow down the user from replacing magazines too quickly, by requiring multiple manual steps to replace the magazine and enable to firearm to be capable of firing again. However, the required separation of the upper and lower receivers to replace magazines imposes physical drawbacks besides slowing down the user. First, when the upper and lower receivers separate, the front part of the firearm (the barrel) swivels down. Due to this swiveling of upper receiver, the user must therefore be careful when releasing the upper and lower receivers because as the upper receiver swivels down, the upper receiver can hit the user's hand. Second, when the upper receiver swivels down, the user also loses the aim achieved while firing the with the first magazine because the upper receiver, when swiveled, no longer points to the position the barrel was pointing when the user fired while the first magazine was loaded.
Sometimes it is desirable for magazines to be firmly mounted to a firearm when in use, and then quickly and easily released from the rifle for rapid replacement. Many firearms have a mechanism the user can manipulate to release the magazine from its positive engagement with the firearm or rifle. Typically, the rifle bolt must be held in a back, or open position, in order to exchange magazines. After a new magazine has been attached to the rifle, the bolt must be released to slide forward, usually loading a new round in the chamber as it does so.
A bolt catch mechanism catches a bolt in its rearward position and, when manipulated by the user, releases the bolt after the magazine has been replaced. In some situations, such as removing a jammed item, or when the user wants to inspect the bolt, rapid redeployment of the weapon is not an issue, and the user is not concerned with moving quickly. However, in training or combat, minimizing downtime can be mission critical.
More particularly, this multi-step process in loading a new magazine requires the user to stop firing, move the rifle out of firing position, focus on the bolt, the bolt catch-release mechanism, and the magazine to effectuate a successful reload. In some cases, the user must switch hands when holding the rifle in order to manipulate the bolt carrier, the bolt catch-release mechanism, and the magazine. Not only is this time-consuming and somewhat clumsy, it also reduces the effectiveness of the user in maintaining fire control in a combat situation. Furthermore, with respect to bolt catches, many bolt catches are not state compliant (such as California) because while the bolt catch may hold the bolt in a rearward position, it still allows a user to release a magazine when the firearm is still in a configuration where the upper and lower receivers of the firearm are still connected, which is not legal in many states.
Numerous firearms and parts of firearms parts have been proposed to aid in the firing of weapons by making it easier to load and aim by proposing modifications to takedown pins, bolt catches, or other components. For example, U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20130055610 to Watkins discloses a shim supported upon a pivot pin between an upper and lower receiver of an AR-15. U.S. Pat. No. 8,826,797 to Overstreet discloses a modifiable upper receiver for M-16/AR15 type firearm in particular for adapting to specific needs of right and left-handed shooters. U.S. Pat. No. 8,943,866 to Fernandez discloses a magazine lock and breech lock. U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20170227312 to Christensen discloses a firearm lower receiver with non-detachable magazine. U.S. Pat. No. 9,010,004 to Fu discloses systems and methods for locking and releasing detachable firearm magazines. U.S. Pat. No. 9,243,857 to Mills discloses a firearm pin having a track for a detent. U.S. Pat. No. 9,777,977 to Makaron discloses a device for facilitating disassembly of a firearm and release of a magazine. U.S. Pat. No. 7,937,876 to Graham discloses a firearm pin component to simplify the process where an upper receiver is engaged with and disengaged from a lower receiver of a firearm. U.S. Pat. No. 9,091,499 to Overstreet disclose a bolt hold open actuator for use with AR-15/M16 type firearms. U.S. Pat. No. 8,695,477 discloses a bolt catch-release lever in a manner that does not require disassembly of the firearm or disassembly or removal of the catch-release actuator from the firearm, and U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20170184361 to Cheng discloses a gun device with bolt catch. The contents of all patents and patent publications in the entirety of this application are incorporated in their entireties for all purposes, as if fully discloses herein. While many of the references above attempt to solve some needs of a user, by allowing quick and easy magazine replacement, there still remains a need for improved devices that are compliant with current regulations, and specifically state laws that require separation of upper and lower receivers in a firearm, and bolt catches, to allow a user to quickly replace magazines in firearms.